Draco's Sanctuary
by Draco And Luna Always
Summary: Draco Malfoy needs to get away from Malfoy Manor. He decides to take a trip to the mountains. His mind is at ease but he does feel lonely. Untill he stumbles in on Luna Lovegood. Was she there by coincidence or by fate?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One: Punishment

Night lay upon a large fortress-like place. There was no moon, but stars shed their frosty glitter to the ground blew. The starlight reflected off a dusty old path that led up to the towering fortress with huge iron gates. Trees surrounded the path and the mansion, swaying lightly in the breeze.

A figure, dressed in all black, walked solemnly up to the gates, dragging a trunk behind him. Long, messy white-blonde hair quivered in front of his face, covering his eyes. He glanced up only for a moment to look at the house behind the iron bars. Once he approached, he stood and looked up at it and the sky behind it.

He began to take in deep breaths. His body began to shake as he began to prepare for what was to come. He closed his stormy grey eyes, wishing that he could just disappear. _If only_, he thought, _but that would be impossible._ Besides, his family would probably be able to find him again. But he was too afraid to try and hide.

The white-blonde haired boy reached beneath the folds of his robes and produced out a dark-colored wand. He tapped the gate three time. Just then, the gates because suddenly foggy, just enough to see the shape of it in the starlight. The boy grabbed the handle of his trunk, took a deep breath, and walked (literally) through the gates. Slowly, he ascended up the steps to the giant mansion, not noticing that the iron gates materialized once again.

The front door opened at his slight touch, making him jump out of his own skin. He pointed his wand, half expecting to see someone there. Thankfully, he didn't; so he stowed away his wand in his cloak pocket. He quietly brought his suitcase up a small flight of stairs toward the grand polished-marble staircase. He cast nervous glances as the pictures of grim-faced witches and wizards watched him go by. Fires on torches flickered brightly as he left the trunk by the first step if the grand staircase and looked around.

A sudden laugh came from the room closest to him. It had a nasty edge to it that made the boy's blood run cold. He knew that laugh anywhere. His aunt was here; probably here to see him and humiliate him some more. He knew he had to face here eventually, but he didn't mean right now. The boy ran a hand through his already untidy hair and sighed in dismay. Then, trying to gather as much courage as he could, he walked briskly over to the room. Another screech of laughter echoed from the dining room, followed by a flash of red sparks. A sickening _thud_ cam abruptly after the red lights vanished. Someone had just been stunned.

The boy pushed open the door into a slightly empty room. A roaring fire burned beneath a marble mantelpiece, surmounted by a jewel-encrusted mirror. A glittering chandelier hung from the ceiling, glowing brilliantly like the stars outside. The boy stood on the threshold, taking in what was happening. All eyes were on him. His mother was standing up, her hands on the table and her chair pushed carelessly aside. The boy's father sat next to the boy's mother, careful to avoid eye-contact with his son. His aunt was at the head of the table, her face fell when she saw the boy. He noticed a body that lay unconscious on the table, while two others sat near the other end of the table.

"Draco," his mother began, her face softening. The boy looked away from her gaze, and saw out of the corner of his eye his mother's expression turn smug. Draco's father didn't even bother to look up at him. His aunt Bellatrix had a sneer on her face as she calmly stood up.

"Draco," she said too sweetly that it was sickening. "About time you got home. I was getting worried that you weren't going to make it." She gave him an innocent look, but Draco knew that she was up to something. "It's a pity that the Dark Lord wasn't able to be here to you after your little assignment. He would've congratulated you," She was about a foot away from Draco's face. He black hair straggled down in from of her eyes that pierced Draco's. "If only you did as you were told!"

Suddenly, her hand reached up and slapped him across the face. At first he didn't feel anything, but a burning sensation crept onto his cheek. He turned his head to the side, letting his hair fall in front of his eyes again. Bellatrix let out a devilish laugh before turning back to the table.

"Bella!" Draco's mother screeched. She was at her son's side in an instant, trying to examine his face. But Draco pushed his mother away.

"He deserved it!" Bellatrix spat back. "Unable to carry out the Dark Lord's demands, humph! It was the simplest of tasks, yet he didn't have the nerve to do it. Welcome to the world of being a Death Eater, Draco! Here we kill everyone to do what must be done." She then lowered her voice but Draco could still hear. "Maybe he's not one of us."

Draco's mother stared aghast at he sister. "How dare-"

"Think about it, Cissy!" Bellatrix interrupted. "He's just a big coward. A disgrace to the Dark Lord." She lowered her voice once more. "Just like his father."

At this, Draco's father's head shot up. "Excuse me?" he snapped defensively. "How dare you insult me in my own home!" He was practically shouting at her.

Bellatrix gave him her innocent look. "No, I don't' know what you're talking about, Lucius." she murmured, making it completely obvious that she did know. "It's just that I was surprised that you didn't hop to the occasion about heading into Hogwarts once Dumbledore was killed."

"I was busy at the time." Lucius said, thoughtfully remembering the time in question.

"Sure, sure," Bellatrix rolled her eyes. "That's what they all say."

"It's true!" Lucius yelled, raising his eyebrows. "Unlike you, I suggested to the Dark Lord that he use my house as a base."

"You mean he _forced_ you to let him use it." Bellatrix responded. But she then waved her hand dismissively.

Lucius's face darkened with anger. Narcissa held him back so he wouldn't go and pound the crap out of Bellatrix. He said something else as Bellatrix laughed in high pitch, but Draco didn't hear. He was already gone to the grand staircase.

By the time he got to his room, it had started to rain outside. Draco sat on the edge of his bed and listened to the droplets patter on his window. His bony white hand went up and gently touched his cheek. It still stung from when his aunt's punishment. For some reason, he felt that he deserved it. To Draco's dismay, he knew that his aunt was right. He _was_ a failure and a coward. Why was he put into becoming a Death Eater if he messed up everything?

But the worst part was that the Dark Lord didn't know that he backed out of it. He didn't know it was really Snape who ended Dumbledore's life and not the person he chose personally for this task…

Why did he have to be a coward? Why couldn't he have the strength? Why does he have to be who he is? If only he was Dumbledore, and it was him who would have been killed.

Draco knew that he would get Crucio-ed for being such a fearful person. He needed to get out of here, needed to get out of the country. He needed to find a place where he could clear his head. Somewhere where he didn't have to worry about his body being at risk. And he was going to leave tomorrow.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: The Piece of Heaven

Draco decided to leave first thing in the morning, because it was the only time he could escape. Everyone was gone except for his mother, so it would be perfect to leave then. Once he got his things organized, he was ready to leave at once. But what would happen when his mother had discovered that her son was missing? Surely she would have a breakdown, so Draco left a note on his already-made bed. Hopefully she wouldn't summon the rest of the Death Eaters for a search party, he hoped that she'll let him be.

Grabbing his pack, he slung it onto his shoulder and headed outside of Malfoy Manor. He cast one last look at the house before Disapperating. How peaceful the mansion looked with the sun blazing through its diamond-shaped windows. It looked as if it held no secrets but held a promising family. But Draco knew that those were false.

He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. The air around him was musky and had that forest scent that clogged his nose, but he didn't care. He pictured himself arriving in some foreign land where all you could see was the vast sky full of twinkling stars. He could feel the warm breeze as tress swished around him. He could faintly here the crackling fire that lay beside him, keeping him warm.

He opened his eyes again. That's where he's going to go, someplace where he could see the sky. Draco would go to a mystic forest where snow still clung to the branches. The forest would be a great place for peace and quiet. But he would not be able to see the forest at night, since the trees would be blocking his view. Perhaps he would go up to the mountains that lay far into the distance. There he would be able to see the endless sky and the vast earth below. To the mountains, where time didn't matter and he could just get lost in the wonder of it all.

He closed his eyes once more and Disapperated. The sound it made echoed off the walls. Draco held his breath as he felt his body squeeze through an imaginary worm-hole. He began to feel light headed and his vision went a bit fuzzy. And when it seemed to be endless, it just stopped

Draco laid on his back with his eyes still closed. He had no idea where he was, nor did he really care. He had finally escaped from that hell-house. He was free from doing anything that had to be done, he was free of being himself. Here, once in his life, he could do whatever he wanted.

At first, Draco just laid there, using his other senses before using sight. He seemed to be laying on a patch of grass that felt docile against his back. He felt rays of sunshine on his chest, warming him immediately. Off not too far away, he could hear the trickle of a small waterfall and the bubbling of a river nearby. The screeching of some birds broke the silence as Draco heard them land over near the stream. The smell of pine trees swirled around him, making him not want to open his eyes. But he had to, he had to look at the beautiful place he had arrived at.

His eyes fluttered for a moment before opening all the way. He sat up, startling the group of birds, and gasped at what he saw. There was a patch of grass that ended a few feet in front of him. Small pine trees grew from the grass; their needles trembled like cat whiskers. He crept towards the edge of the grass and peered down. He was perched upon a cliff that tumbled looked down upon a sea of flame-colored trees that stretched as far as the eye could see.

Draco turned to look at what was behind him. Towering above the trees, was a mountain of rocks that seemed to be piled up to the clouds and maybe beyond. The small waterfall seemed to be coming from the clouds themselves as it wove between the rocks and emptied into the river. The river's clear waters gurgled over smooth pebbles, passed moss-covered rocks, and tumbled over small cascades. Draco took a scoopful of the water and drained it in an instant because it made Draco's senses run wild.

After about two more scoops, he looked down, gazing into the river's depths. What Draco saw was a bit unnerving. There was a person in the water that was staring back at him. The person had the same messy white-blonde hair as he did. It had dark circles under its steely grey eyes that seemed unblinking. Its face was pale with the slightest tint of pink on its cheeks. The person had an afraid expression etched across its face; the same one Draco had on his. He was looking down upon his own ghastly reflection.

Out of nowhere, a trundle of pine needles spun towards the river and landed on top, making Draco's reflection go out of shape. Draco watched as the needles were swept away down the river. Once they disappeared, Draco turned his attention towards his reflection, which had reformed again. The steely grey eyes of his reflection were hard and piercing, just like those of his aunt Bellatrix's.

Suddenly, he lashed out his hand at the water, making his reflection deformed again. _No,_ he told himself. _I am not going to think about them or anybody! During my time here I am not a Malfoy! I am just Draco, no one else._

He laid back down on his back against the grass and had the sun's rays warm him once more. Draco closed his eyes, listening to the river, the screeching birds, and the swishing trees. It was peaceful here and he wasn't planning on leaving anytime soon. Once he was getting deeper into his though, a deep sleep crept over his body and consumed it.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three: The Night Bird

Draco awoke a few hours later, in time to see the last of the sun's rays light up the sky. Hastily, Draco got up and scrambled to get his things out of his bag before the sun went down. He muttered under his breath about how he should have woken up sooner so he could see. Once he found the bag, he took his wand out and made his tent neatly. He then stumbled over to the nearest pine tree and broke off some of the limbs.

Once he put the piles of wood into a neat pile, he muttered the word "Incendio". Out from his wand came a blast of light. A little fire started to grow from the logs until it came into a full-grown fire. The fire crackled and hissed as it licked the sides of the tree branches.

Draco sat with his legs against his chest and his head was propped up on his knees. He wrapped his arms over his legs and scooted towards the fire. He gazed into the fire, watching it flicker and give off heat. He never thought fire could be so beautiful. Draco always thought of fire was for destruction and to spread death among the world. But here was one, flickering happily like it had a life of its own. All it needed was for someone to look after it.

He sat is silence for who knows how long, gazing absently at the crackling fire. His mind was numb and he couldn't concentrate on anything other than the fire. All he could hear was the fire's hissing and snapping; he couldn't hear the flowing river or the screeching birds. He felt detached from the world as his mind slipped away like the flames.

But something made him jump back into reality. There was a flicker of glitter at the opposite end of the fire. Draco grabbed his wand, ready to defend himself. But he did not need it. The shape that appeared out of the darkness was just one of the birds that usually flew overhead.

It had brown tawny feathers that had a hint of gold glitter on the tips. Its tail was red and its tail feathers were bent upwards. Its hooked beak and pure-black eyes glistened by the light of the fire. It stared at Draco with no emotion but cocked its head to the side.

Draco felt the sudden urge to reach out and stroke one of its silky feathers, but he knew it would scare it away. The bird, which Draco realized was a Red-Tailed Hawk, seemed to know what Draco wanted and gracefully hopped over to him. The hawk was about a few inches away when Draco reached out a finger towards the hawk. It froze as Draco gently touched one of its neck feathers. The feathers were soft but cold. At the cold touch, Draco drew back his hand.

The hawk looked at him again before hopping past Draco and then disappeared into the dark. Draco sat there dumbfounded for a moment, trying to take in why the hawk had come to him. A few seconds later, he heard a rustling sound from where the hawk had disappeared from. Draco made the tip of his wand light up and went to investigate. The hawk had gone into his bag and had grabbed something inside it. The hawk tumbled out of his bag with a piece of food in its beak.

"Hey!" Draco yelled loudly, trying to shoo the hawk away. "That's my food. Go and get your own!" the hawk dropped the food and hopped far enough away that Draco could still see the glitter from its feathers. "Don't touch this or I'll-" Draco stopped. He looked down at the frightened bird and then at the piece of food then at the bird again. The hawk looked at Draco with a scared but slightly hopeful expression. It looked at the food, then at Draco.

_That hawk is just like me, _Draco realized. _It's all alone out here, trying to find some way to survive. _He looked down at the hawk's bent-up feathers and momentarily touched the place where Bellatrix had hit him. _It got punished for messing up on something, like me._

Draco bent down and threw the piece of food on the ground. The hawk practically jumped up then glided over to the food by Draco's feet. It gobbled it up in a second and then looked up at Draco with bright eyes. Draco gave it a small smile before returning to sit near the fire.

As Draco sat down, he saw the hawk hobble over to him. Draco sat cross-legged with his arms supporting him from behind. The hawk sat next to Draco's leg and tucked its head under its wing. _All it needed was a little help, _Draco thought, patting the little bird before turning to explore the depths of the fire again.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four: The Intruder

Draco had spent two days at the little Piece of Heaven. He explored the area, noting down the mountain's features and where to get food, firewood, and shelter from the rain.

Draco collapsed on the grassy earth in the late afternoon of the third day. He had spent the entire day climbing up and down the pile of rocks, checking out the region around the Piece of Heaven. It was beautiful to look down upon the world from the top of the mountains up there, but the altitude and his phobia of heights made it hard for him to breathe. He had climbed so far that his hands had become rough and had scratched on his palms. He dipped them in the river so the blistering pain would soothe.

A moment later, Draco heard the flapping of wings and a familiar screech. He looked over his shoulder, and tried to get his hair out of his face so he could see. The hawk who he had met on his first night had been following and sort of looking out for him ever since Draco gave him that piece of food. Draco was irritated that the hawk was hanging around with him, he somewhat enjoyed it because it was someone to keep him company.

"Hey." Draco greeted the hawk. The bird's head bent low as it dropped something from its mouth. It was a small, red berry that Draco knew had the ability to heal small wounds. So Draco squished the berry in his hands and rubbed his hands together. He smiled at the bird and patted it once his hands were dry. The hawk seemed to acknowledge his thanks and went over to sit next to Draco by the stream. Draco had taken off his shoes and rolled up his pant legs so that he could dangle them in the cool river.

He leaned back on his hands and lifted his face towards the sky. A shaft of sunlight had managed to break its way through the trees, warming Draco in a heartbeat. Never before had he been so exposed to this much sun. his mother had always told him to stay out of it because it would cause skin damage or something like that. The only time he could go out was in the daytime, duh, his mother didn't seem to know that. He wasn't nocturnal, so he couldn't go out at night and expect to see. Whenever he went out with his parents on a sunny day, they would always stick to the shadows. That's why they were always so pale.

But _this _was Draco's Sanctuary, _his_ place where he could do whatever _he _wanted. This place is where he was in charge, where _he_ would tell everyone what to do. But, no one else was here.

Draco sat there for hours; soaking up the sun's rays. He went for a refreshing dip in the river every now and then to help him cool down. The water felt cool against his body that could easily melt anyone's stress away. The rounded pebbles that coated the bottom were smooth and slick as he stood on them. He flipped his hair, trying to get the water out of it. Once he brushed his long hair out of his eyes, he noticed that his hawk friend had been sitting at the edge of the river watching him. Draco's hawk friend looked like he wanted to jump in but changed its mind by tucking its head under its wing.

Shrugging, Draco took a deep breath and vanished under the water's surface. The current of cool water roared past his ears and tickled is cheeks. They had finally grown red due to the warmth and he had managed to get a slight tan, but he was still pale. He sat at the bottom of the stream for a few seconds, before breaking the surface again. He swam over to the edge and crossed his arms on the water bank. He turned to look at his hawk friend, who was asleep, and then jumped out of the water.

Grabbing his towel from a nearby tree branch, he draped it over his shoulders and trudged across the patch of grass over to his tent. Once inside, he changed into a simple outfit and emerged from the flaps. His gaze traveled around his sanctuary as the sun began to disappear behind the horizon. The last rays of the sun stretched up to the clouds, turning them different colors. They seemed to be from a painting and Draco thought that that was one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen, probably in his entire life.

He decided to sit down at the mouth of his tent. He looked admiringly at the sky above. It felt as if he were part of the setting sun painting. He sighed in content as he listened to the tweeting of little birds in the pine trees and the bubbling of the river.

He never wanted to leave this place. He never wanted to return to the place where he was a disgrace to the Death Eaters. He was thinking about staying here; no longer living in fear and not a problem to the world. But the thing was that he would be lonely all day every day. He never had a friend that was true to him, who wanted to talk to him, who wanted to be proud that he was their friend. For once, Draco felt that his heart had disappeared, since he has never loved another person.

Suddenly, he heard something off in the distance. It was a crackling of a fire followed by a small voice. Draco looked around, trying to find the source of the voice. He saw nothing but a small fire burning behind a patch of trees. Draco gathered up his wand and put on his coat. Since the sun was going down, it was starting to get a bit chilly now.

He crept carefully across his sanctuary towards the group of trees. He saw a flash of a dark shape as it ran past the fire. Draco pushed some of the branches out of the way so he could see. He saw a figure running back and forth across a different patch of grass, blocking the fire every now and then. When the figure ran past the flames, Draco managed to get a glimpse of a feature.

The person had long white-blonde hair that rippled down its back. Thick curls clung to the ends. Draco managed to get a glimpse a flash of icy blue, which he guess was the person's eye color. It was wearing something around its neck that glowed a bright yellow color.

"Hey!" The person yelled, waving it arms over its head. Draco froze, he had been spotted. The person ran off in a different direction, seeming to be chasing something. "Wait! Come back, I need that!" The person cried desperately.

As Draco tried to get a closer look, he accidentally stepped on a stick, which snapped loudly. _Of course,_ Draco muttered to himself. The person who had been running around, stopped and looked over to where Draco stood in hiding. Its icy blue eyes were fixed upon the place where his feet were rooted to the ground. _Hopefully this person won't notice, _Draco pleaded in his mind.

"Who's there?" The person called out. Its voice was crystal clear but had a dreamy tone twisted into it.

Draco held his breath. Should he run back to his tent or should he give away his hiding place? He couldn't decide. One part of him said that he should run, run away without looking back. The other part told him to go over and see the person. As soon as he was about to turn away, his legs started to walk trough the trees. His brain told them to run the other way, but it was like his legs had a mind of their own.

"I'm sorry," he apologized, looking over his shoulder and then at the person's face. "I was just-" Draco stopped short. The light from the person's fire lit up the person's face as he then realized who it was.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five: Luna's Lights

"Lovegood?" Draco said in disbelief, raising an eyebrow. "What are you doing here?" His voice was full of disgust.

Her suspicious expression vanished immediately and was replaced by a small smile. "I always come here to see the hawks and the sky-lights. It's quite an amazing show, really. I used to come here with daddy, but he's been too busy with work now. So I come by myself now." She looked away from him and sat down next to her fire. She glanced over at him again and patted to a patch of grass next to her.

Was she insane? First he meets her in the place where he thought he was free, and now she wants him to sit with her? Who does she think she is? Draco looked over at her and felt something in his heart begin to ache. His mind told him once again to run back to his camp. But his heart told him to sit next to her. He did feel outrageously lonely at that moment, so he went and sat next to her.

They sat gazing into the fire in silence for quite some time. Until Luna looked over at him. "What brings you out here, Draco?" she asked him calmly.

"It's none of your business." he snapped. He bit his lip and suddenly wished that he hadn't yelled at her like that. He turned his head so she wouldn't see the anger and regret in his eyes and his cheeks burned lightly.

Luna shrugged. "You seem to be under a lot of stress," she continued. Draco felt that her gaze was on him, but he did not dare look at her. "I can try and help you." she offered.

"You wouldn't understand." Draco said gruffly through clenched teeth. He still had his back to her and a tingle went up his spine as he felt Luna's icy blue eyes comb over him.

"I could try." Luna said quietly like an angel's prayer. She sounded so calm, even though he had just yelled at her.

Then something boiled up in him and then just burst out. "Don't you get it?" He whipped his face around and he stood up. "I'm all stressed out because you brought up that stupid question! Since you asked that, all my memories of my bloody failure came back into my face! I came here so I could get away from all that madness!" Draco couldn't stop his rampage. "I'm a coward! I can never do anything right!" He sat back down and covered his face with his hands.

"Draco," Luna began. She gently put her hand on is shoulder, afraid that he might shrug it off. But he didn't. "You're not a coward-"

"Oh yeah?" Draco roared, snapping his head up and glaring at her. A few tears slid down his cheeks. "How do you know? You don't know what I've done. You don't know who I even am!"

At that moment a searing pain burst from his right arm. Draco doubled over in pain, clutching his arm close to his chest. Draco bit his lip as it felt that his arm was burning from the campfire. He was careful not to open his mouth and scream in agony. The Dark Lord must of found out that he had failed to kill Dumbledore. Draco didn't really know why the Dark Lord picked him for the assignment. He just knew that he was going to get punished for failing.

Draco wasn't paying attention that Luna was watching him writher in pain. She sat there, unsure whether to be scared or concerned. Cautiously, she reached her hand over and gripped the top of Draco's right hand, trying to see if it helped.

Draco felt the warmth of Luna's hand on top of his. Suddenly, the pain stopped burning from his mark. It was replaced by a cooling sensation that crept up his arm. He looked up at Luna with a surprised expression. He wasn't sure to be relived that the pain was gone or freaked out that the looniest person in the world was holding his hand.

She let go and put her hands on her lap. Draco longed to have his hand locked with hers. He wished to have his arms wrapped around her and she would tell him that everything would be okay. Just like… his mother.

"You're not a coward," Luna said finally, sighing as she looked from the fire up at him. She tilted her head to the side ever so slightly that he could see both of her eyes. Draco gave her a confused glance. She help out her hands in front of her. Draco noticed that there was a dark shape nestled in the palms of her hands. It appeared to be a young hawk. The small hawk spread out its wings as it yawned but kept them out straight.

"Hawks are usually nervous when its time for their first flight," Luna said, stroking the bird's feathers. "But sometimes they just need a little push." She brought up her hands up high and the bird took flight. Luna and Draco watched it until they could see it no longer.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a kaleidoscope of colors exploded out of the sky. They seemed to shimmer like waves of a pond. The lights were painted over the sky itself. Colors of every type weaved their was through the others. Long strips of the lights looked like snakes while the others had a shape all their own.

"And sometimes something magnificent could happen." Luna murmured, continuing from her last sentence that she said. Draco didn't know how to speak when he saw the aura of the lights. This was definitely the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his life.

Draco glanced over at Luna for a second but had to take a double-take at her. Her icy blue eyes glowed as bright as the lights and the light show wore around her neck. The lights from the sky sparkled on her skin as they changed from blue to purple then to red. Her mouth was slightly opened as she gazed shocked at the shimmering lights.

Draco stared at her for the longest moment, staring at her lips. What he wanted the most at that moment was to reach over and gently place is lips on her glossy ones. He started edging toward her, careful not to bump into her or cause her to look his way. When he seemed to be only a few inches away, he stared into he starry-eyed gaze. The lights reflected off them like a mirror and Draco could not look away from her dreamy eyes. There was a fluttering sensation in his stomach that felt as if his hawk friend had gotten trapped in there. Draco was about an inch away from her. His arm lightly grazed hers, but she took no notice. He was so close to her glossy lips that he could almost taste them…

He pulled away from her, making a large gap between them. Why did he move away when he was so close? Was it because that the beating wings in his stomach had grown too much for him? Or was it that she looked absolutely stunning and he was sure he looked horrible? Or was it the fact that he was sure he would mess up?… It was Dumbledore's murder all over again. Except this time it was even more simpler than that, but he still didn't have the guts to do it. He couldn't kiss Luna. Out of all the times he kissed Pansy, he hadn't felt as nervous as he did now.

_Sometimes they just need a little push. And sometimes something magnificent could happen._ Those words came into his mind and played themselves over and over in his mind. But where would he get that little push from? He couldn't do it by himself and there was no one else around to help him…

Suddenly a rush of wind and the fluttering of feathers came from behind Draco. He tensed up for a moment at the cold breeze and looked over his shoulder. His hawk friend's eyes stared deeply into Draco's. It seemed to tell Draco to just get it over with. They had a warm feeling to them as Draco patted the bird on the head. Wait… was this bird giving him the courage? He did help the little guy out; it seemed to be returning the favor.

The hawk slid underneath Draco's hand and closed its little eyes. He scratched its back and looked affectionately at the hawk. He had grown fond for the little animal ever since it began to hang around him. This may seem strange, but it seems that this little hawk had become one of Draco's most trusted friend, even though it couldn't talk. But it seemed to talk with its eyes. The hawk's head bent low and them brought it up again. Its eyes twinkled by the lights as they seemed to say "go on! You can do it!" or something like that. Draco smiled broadly, he had never smiled like this before, or had ever been so sure of himself before.

As Draco turned to face Luna again, the lights from the sky began to fade until they disappeared completely. _Oh no, _Draco said in his head. _Now what am I going to do to have her distracted? _Luna turned her face towards Draco, he could barely see her due to the dying light of the fire.

"Did you see them?" Luna asked him, her starry gaze was deep into his. Draco nodded in acknowledgement. "They are beautiful" she said, sighing.

_Almost as beautiful as you._ Draco bit back saying. Where were these coming from? First, he meets her here at a place where he thought no one would know about it. Second, he was given the choice to sit with her or run back to camp; and he chose to stay with her. And now he was deciding whether or not to kiss her. Did he…maybe…love her? Was this how true love was supposed to feel?

"Yeah." Draco managed to say. His hands started to feel all sweaty as he got lost in her beauty. He noticed that a twig had gotten tangled in her golden locks and moved a hand to retrieve it. He removed it and he and Luna sat an inch away from each other. They sat there, gazing deeply into each other's eyes, not one of them blinked or moved at all. Draco leaned forward, the gap was almost gone.

But it was Luna who had pulled away. She stood up and dusted off her clothes. "Well, it was nice seeing you, Draco." Luna said sweetly, tucking a piece of her hair behind her ear. She didn't meet Draco's gaze. "Goodnight." After nodding good-bye, she skipped off into the shrubs.

"'Night." Draco called after her, his voice faltered and he knew that she couldn't hear him not. Draco sat by the dying fire, staring at the spot where Luna had disappeared, hoping she would return. But she didn't. He felt a tug on his sleeve as he felt his hawk friend try and pull him along. Draco didn't want to move, but he had to. "Luna." he said to himself, thinking that she might hear. "Why did you have to go?"


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six: Home and Dreaming

Draco slept badly that night. For once, it wasn't his mark that bothered him, it was his heart. It ached for Luna, which was strange because it never did anything like this before. He couldn't fall asleep knowing that she slept just across the meadow. He tossed and turned in his head, trying to get comfortable, but nothing helped. Why did she have to come here and ruin his freedom? Did she come because she wanted to or was it that she had to? Was it fate? Why did she have to come?

Well, if she never came, he would have never received her advice. And that did help him out a lot. Her advice made him realize that he was afraid of the punishment for messing up instead of the task he was performing. He would have never figured it out for himself if she hadn't helped out. And it also seemed that whenever that Luna was around, he seemed to be able to focus more but still felt embarrassed whenever he messed up. He never felt like this for anyone, not even Pansy. Luna _was _different, that much was true, but she had a way of expressing it through her advice.

XxXxXxXx

Draco awoke the next morning feeling refreshed and ready to start the day. Which was weird because he never seemed to be so energetic. His energy was probably triggered by his anxiousness to see Luna again. Throughout the rest of the morning, he tried to get himself to look less horrendous as possible. He took a cleansing dip in the river, changed his outfit many times until he found a good one, and brushed his hair for the first tome in a few days.

After peering at his reflection in the water, he began making his was over to the place where he had first seen Luna last night. Thankfully she was there, running around the small meadow of grass. He was about to approach he but he stopped himself. What would he say to her? What would she say to him? Would she send him away? Did she finally know that he wanted to kiss her? He _had_ to tell her how he felt. But, being the coward he is, he wouldn't be able to. He was afraid that she would not feel the same for him.

"Hello Draco." Luna's singsong voice broke into his thoughts. He had just realized that he was half-hidden behind the bushes and half-exposed into the open. She was waving at him and smiled widely.

"Hi," Draco said softly, deciding to approach her. "What are you up to?" he asked, gesturing to the patched up bag in her hand.

"Oh," Luna's eyes flicked to her bag. "I'm just getting myself ready to leave." She faced the mountain of rocks that stretched up to the sky and sighed. "I'm going to miss this place. Such a beautiful view."

"Wait, wait, wait," Draco held up his hands for her to stop. "You're leaving?" Draco couldn't believe it; the girl he'd grown to love was _leaving_ him.

"Yes, I'm afraid so," she said softly, but Draco could detect a hint of sorrow in her voice. "My daddy needs me to come home because he needs help to make the next issue of the Quibbler."

"Oh," Draco said glumly. She _had _to part from him. He jammed his hands into his pockets and looked down at the ground.

"When are you going to be returning home?" Luna asked as she bent over to pick out one of her items.

Draco looked disgusted by her question. "I'm never going to return to the hell of a home!" he spat.

"You'll get awfully lonely here by yourself." Luna said, letting her gaze travel around the small meadow.

_Then stay with me, _Draco had almost said. Where were these coming from?

"Well I think you should return home," Luna said firmly. "You're family is probably missing you."

"I doubt it," Draco snorted. "They think I'm even more of a coward because I ran away."

"But they won't think you're a coward when you go back because they'll think that you wont return, Therefore, you'll show courage by returning to face them."

Draco stood in silence for a moment taking in what Luna had said. _Yes, that actually did make sense. _"But they'll still punish me badly because of what I did. Well, didn't do." Draco's hand went up and absently touched the place where Bellatrix had hit him so many days before.

"I don't think that's true," Luna said, giving him a small smile as she continued picking up her things. "If they didn't punish you badly before, I don't believe that they'll punish you when you get back."

But the Dark Lord didn't know that he didn't fill out the Dark Lord's plans till after he left. Therefore, the punishment will get worse because he found out that Draco had failed.

Luna stared at Draco's face for a long moment, studying it for quite some time. "Maybe they'll forget about your failure and just focus that the task has been done." Luna said finally. Draco turned and stared into her face as it started to make sense in his mind. Draco nodded as he grasped hold of her advice. _Yes, _Draco thought. _It should only matter that Dumbledore was dead. It does not matter who killed him. _Draco nodded again as he reached an agreement; he was going to go home and confront his family.

Once he got his things together, he let his gaze travel around his Piece of Heaven. It was such a beautiful place and he was going to miss it dearly. He searched the skies for his hawk friend, but it was nowhere to be found. He said a silent farewell and met Luna over at the usual spot in the meadow. They both grinned as the saw each other.

"Well, I guess this is good-bye." Draco said awkwardly as Luna nodded in agreement, "Thanks so much for the advice." He stuck out his hand for her to shake it. Suddenly, he lost control of his arm and he pulled her close to him. He bent his neck low as his lips met hers. Their lips molded together as they stood there for what seemed like an hour (but it was only a few seconds). And what shocked Draco the most was that Luna did not pull away this time, she was actually kissing him back. Again, what had come over him?

Once they broke apart, they stood in silence for another long minute. Until Luna broke the silence. "You'll write to me, wont you?" She asked as she picked up her bag and tried to hid the pink tint on her cheeks. "I mean, I don't get very many letters from people and I though that-"

"Of course I will." Draco answered almost immediately, but he accentually interrupted her. She shouldered his own bag and took out his wand. "Good-bye, Luna." he said. She said something, but all he could hear was "Draco I-" but he already Disapperated. Again, he felt that his body was going through the worm-hole. But he didn't feel so sick this time because he had just kissed the one person he'd never thought he would kiss, Luna Lovegood.

Draco was laying on something that was soft and rather comfy. Something wet and cloth-like laid on top of his forehead. Draco opened his eyes and found himself on his bed in his room. He had made to home. He was ready to face his parents and his aunt. He was ready to face the Dark Lord.

He sat up and removed the wet cloth from his forehead. He looked down at himself and his eyebrows scrunched up. That was strange, wasn't he wearing a red shirt instead of this black one? He checked the clock that sat on his side table. It was nine thirty in the morning. That was strange, didn't he leave in the late afternoon? Then there was a burning sensation on his cheek. He picked up a nearby mirror and saw that a faded red hand had left a mark on his cheek. It was Bellatrix's hand mark.

But wasn't he gone for four days? Unless… his adventure was just all a dream. But everything seemed so real. He could see everything so clearly, he could see Luna. He could hear everything so clearly, he could hear Luna's advice. He could feel and taste everything so clearly. He could taste Luna's lips and feel her being next to him. Even the pain from his mark felt real. It couldn't have been a dream.

He looked around the room, trying to find anything that proved that he was right. To prove that it hadn't been a dream. He searched all over the floor, but there was nothing. He was fighting back tears as he found nothing that proved it was real. It had been a dream after all. Draco kept trying to persuade himself that it was real, but he knew that it wasn't. He couldn't believe in, Luna seemed so real the way she sat next to him and how the sky-lights made its colors dance across her face.

Draco kicked his side tale, causing some items to fall over. But he didn't care. He didn't care about anything now. He sat on the edge of his bed and covered his face with his white hands. Silent tears fell from his eyes as he shook his head, not believing what he had discovered.

Suddenly there was a tapping sound that came from Draco's window. He ignored it, guessing that it was one of the annoying crows that tapped on his window every now and then. But the tapping didn't cease. Draco stood up to face the window, about to scare away the crow. But he stopped. The bird at his window wasn't a crow. Draco stood there, gazing into familiar eyes.

The eyes were dark but had a comforting feeling to them. It was dressed in dark brown that seemed to sparkle faintly. A creamed-colored envelope was attached to its leg. It had a tail, but it was bent up in a painful way. When Draco saw the shape, he knew that his adventure had been real because he stared into the eyes of his hawk friend.


End file.
